MLB News

Kendrick's walk-off, Puig's 4 hits stun D-backs

By
Steve Bourbon and Earl BloomMLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- Howie Kendrick hit a walk-off single to drive in Yasiel Puig as the Dodgers beat the D-backs, 7-6, on Wednesday despite a four-hit night from Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona has now lost 13 of its last 14 at Dodger Stadium and nine straight vs. Los Angeles overall.

"The pitch ran up and in, but I was just looking for something out over the plate," said Kendrick, who drove in all three runs in Tuesday's 3-1 win.

LOS ANGELES -- Howie Kendrick hit a walk-off single to drive in Yasiel Puig as the Dodgers beat the D-backs, 7-6, on Wednesday despite a four-hit night from Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona has now lost 13 of its last 14 at Dodger Stadium and nine straight vs. Los Angeles overall.

"The pitch ran up and in, but I was just looking for something out over the plate," said Kendrick, who drove in all three runs in Tuesday's 3-1 win.

Puig was 4-for-4 with a walk and, like Goldschmidt, was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Goldschmidt, who hit his 100th career homer, is batting .379 (22-for-58) in his past 14 games at Dodger Stadium.

The D-backs were down, 5-1, after three innings, but battled back and tied the game in the ninth on a solo home run by A.J. Pollock.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDJoc, the robber: In the top of the third, with two runners on base, Joc Pederson made the defensive play of the game. Tracking a deep fly ball to center field from Yasmany Tomas, Pederson went over the wall to bring back a potential game-tying home run. The next batter, Aaron Hill, bounced into an inning-ending double play and the score remained 4-1. More >

Safety squeeze burns D-backs: With Dodgers on first and third in the second inning, and one out, the D-backs crashed their corner infielders with starting pitcher Brett Anderson showing bunt early. Andre Ethier followed third baseman Hill down the line. When Hill fielded the bunt and threw to first for the out, Ethier had an easy jog home for the first run of what turned out to be a four-run inning.

"The answer is no, we didn't defend it like we wanted to," manager Chip Hale said. "We wanted to look the guy back, but I think a couple of guys yelled 'first,' and we got a little panicky."

Hernandez delivers: Dodgers manager Don Mattingly pulled a double-switch to get Anderson out of the game in the sixth, inserting Kiké Hernandez at left field. The utility man came up to the plate in the bottom of the inning with Alberto Callaspo on third and lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.

"I feel like that was a big run for us. The momentum sort of shifted to them, but we were able to stop them and put a run on the board. That was big," Mattingly said.

Tomas and friend strike: Goldschmidt, with a man aboard, and Tomas hit back-to-back D-backs home runs in the fifth. Tomas had singled off the Bank of America sign in center field in the first to drive in a run, then was robbed of a three-run homer by Pederson in the third.

"He fell behind, and he threw a breaking ball. It was up, fortunately," Goldschmidt said of Anderson. "We were trying to make a little run right there. Tomas hit one, and he hit the wall, too, and got robbed of another one, so he did a good job."

Dodgers: Los Angeles will have an off-day before making the short trip down to San Diego for a three-game series with the Padres, beginning on Friday at 7:10 p.m. PT. Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.36) takes the mound looking for his fifth win in his last six starts.